Everyone wants to know what the trick is to have the energy, weight loss, and overall glow that we see online and promoted throughout the world. It is something I think we all have coveted from another person in one way or another. I can personally say I’ve done the whole thing where I felt sluggish, tired, and worn down where I wasn’t sure exactly where I went wrong. In this post, I wanted to take some time to really talk with you all about a few changes I made in my life that turned my life around.
Understanding my body first. I had to acknowledge with myself that sometimes, something medical may be the underlying cause. For me personally, I have struggled with a stomach digestive condition as well as some hormone imbalances. It’s hard to fight an uphill battle, so I first made sure to check with my doctors to ensure that everything was going to be right for my body and if there was something else that I may need to be doing to help get me on the right track.
The next thing I did was focus on what was going in my body. We all hear about “eating healthy”, “moderation”, “dieting”, and so on and so forth. While all of that can be important, I think the best thing is to start with a mind reset on WHY I was doing this. Sure, I would be thrilled with losing weight and feeling better in my clothes but I also wanted to have healthy skin, a longer life, a more rejuvenated sense of energy throughout my day. This wasn’t just going to be something “diet” related but more so an overall lifestyle change.
Nothing can truly stick in your lifestyle change unless you start with the mentality of making it a habit. I found if I went into it saying “okay, if I do this for a month, I can lose X number of pounds” I ended up falling off the wagon or just gaining weight back. It was never something that stuck and would ultimately send me into a tailspin—I’m sure we’ve all been there. So, what I really did was decide that I WANTED to be healthy overall. I owed it to my body and life to really have a balance but to also not deprive myself.
If I wanted to grab drinks with the girls? Sure, no problem. Were there options to select a “skinny” version of that margarita or could I sub out club soda instead of a sugary add in? It started by making little adjustments like that that can overall change the way I had a relationship with food and drink in my life.If you’re going to a movie, sure, splurge and have some of that popcorn or candy, but I knew that I wanted to make sure I reset my body the next day with a healthy breakfast and focus on my greens and proteins for the day. It’s all about moderation and that is something I really fell into when I was making these changes.
I found that I really liked cooking out of vegetarian cookbooks. These gave me flavorful and vegetable heavy dishes that I could just add some basic proteins too. This was an absolute game change to me. If I could get all of those vegetables in a dishes I genuinely wanted, then that was already one step closer to my goal. I also attempt to stay as close to the garden as possible. 
Fruits and veggies are your friends! I make sure that I cut up and have a ton stocked through out the day so I’m more likely to grab those instead of a bag of chips. Again, this didn’t happen over night but it was a step in the right direction. I also LOVE to eat Mediterranean food. It was a huge deal for me because I love my sauces/dips (Tzaziki is my go to) and this allowed me to incorporate some great options into what I was cooking or preparing.
All in all, I made sure to take this in baby steps until it became something I craved more than just grabbing a pizza or fast food. I promise you that your body will feel so much better if you focus on all the good that goes into it. Also know your limitations. Listen to your doctor’s and be aware of other underlying things like maybe a diary allergy? Gluten? Etc. There are so many factors that can be looked at but all in all, start building those healthy habits because we only get this one body and I know that I’m thankful that I started sooner rather than later!